2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show: 3 Things to Know

(NEXSTAR) – When Super Bowl LVII airs Sunday night, some will tune in to the football, some will watch commercials and others will be there for one reason: Rihanna.

Nine-time Grammy winner and pop icon declined the performance just a few years ago. Now she will take the field at halftime of the Chiefs-Eagles game in a long-awaited return to performance since gave birth to her first child with partner A$AP Rocky.

“Rihana is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who exceeded expectations at every step. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-produced in business and entertainment,” Jay-Z said in a statement. His Roc Nation entertainment agency is one of the halftime executive producers.

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When does the halftime show start?

If you’re not a football fan, saying it’s a halftime show might not answer your question. So let’s break it up.

The NFL plays four 15-minute quarters – two before halftime and two after. At the end of the first and third quarters, there are two-minute breaks as each team changes ends of the field.

But that doesn’t include stopping the game clock, team breaks, or commercial breaks. With all this, average NFL game it lasts about three hours and 12 minutes.

Super Bowl LVII begins at 6:30 PM ET and is scheduled to run until approximately 10:30 PM ET, according to local TV listings. If you subtract the time allotted for halftime and commercial breaks, that leaves just over three hours to play.

Splitting that into two, the first half of the game should last about an hour and a half. So if you plan to tune in just for the halftime show, you can expect it to start between 8 and 8:30 PM ET.

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Which songs will Rihanna perform?

The set list hasn’t been officially announced, but there are some songs more likely to appear than others – at least according to the betting odds.

As of Tuesday, odds on several gambling sites had “Don’t Stop The Music” from Rihanna’s 2007 album “Good Girl Gone Bad” as the most likely first song during halftime. Gamblers predict that the performance will end with another hit from the same album, “Umbrella”.

Super Bowl halftime shows are usually about 15 minutes long. Last year’s performance by Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg included nine songs in his set list. The year before that, the Weeknd also sang nine songs.

With so many hits throughout her career, Rihanna is likely to perform a number of favorites. Other songs that the better believe will most likely be included in the performance at some point are “We Found Love”, “Where Have You Been” and “Rude Boy”.

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Will there be any surprise guests?

The show’s producers and the NFL have been remarkably tight-lipped about the details of the show — including guest appearances or cameos — but there are betting odds here, too.

Perhaps because Roc Nation is listed as halftime producer, Jay-Z is the most likely guest star, according to bets placed until Tuesday.

Other proposed guests include longtime collaborators Calvin Harris and Drake. Some are betting that A$AP Rocky’s partner will come, and some are even betting that they’ll bring their baby along.

Rihanna also has songs with several recent halftime acts, such as Shakira and Eminem, so if she decides to share the stage, there are plenty of stars to choose from.